This Is How You Remind Me
by pathetic otaku child
Summary: AU heeroDuo ficcy. The boys and Relena were a smalltime rock band until she left for a solo pop career, and they are left without a singer. When Quatre picks a bum off the street, who knew it would affect their lives so much?
1. Chapter 1

Title: This Is How You Remind Me (the temporary Titile, may change)

Author: The Pathetic Otaku Child

Rating: T for now

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. All I own is…..well….I do have an Indiana Jones promotional poster I got at Wal-Mart, and I guess I own that… And I also Don't own "Somewhere I Belong" by Linkin Park.

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4 in the background……poor Wufei, always the odd man out…..But we all love him anyway, right? Right? C'mon, he's our wonderful, ever angry comic relief in need of anger and stress management courses.

Warnings: yaoi, blatant Relena-bashing, slight Quatre bashing….

Chapter One

The rain poured that afternoon, which wasn't all that surprising for Seattle. It was a light drizzle, but enough to get everyone in it wet. Quatre walked along silently, hand firmly placed in the crook of Trowa's arm. Neither felt like talking. Not after what they'd heard. Relena Darlian's latest single had hit number one on the American charts. She'd totally forsaken her rock beginnings that had gotten her started to become the latest pop princess. The new Britney Spears. The latest Barbie, ready to be molded into what was expected of her. Worse than Gwen Stefani, and completely going over to the other side. And she had once been _their_ singer, _their_ friend. It had been thanks to _their_ band that she made it to the top. And yet she acted like Colony Brats didn't exist. The only question left was: Was that what she had really been like all along, or had she changed to fit Society's guidelines?

They were on the way back home from Heero's, where the band members had met to see the Emmy's and witness it when Relena received an award for a song that had been written by Heero and Quatre. It was hard for all of them, but especially so for Heero, although he didn't show it or at least tried not to. He had been the one betrayed the most by the girl's actions.

Quatre was lost in thought as he and Trowa walked down the wet concrete. But then a smooth, striking tenor accompanied by an acoustic broke its way through is musings.

_When this began  
I had nothing to say  
And I'd get lost in the nothingness inside of me  
I was confused  
And I'd let it all out to find  
That I'm not the only person with these things in mind  
Inside of me  
When all the vacancy the words revealed  
Is the only real thing that I've got left to feel  
Nothing to loose  
Just stuck, hollow and alone  
And the fault is my own and the fault is my own _

Quatre pulled his boyfriend to a halt and looked around to try and search out the owner of the voice, but all he could see were umbrellas and newspapers covering peoples heads as they scurried by, caught in the rat race of life.

_I wanna heal  
I wanna feel  
What I thought was never real  
I want to let go of the pain I felt so long  
Erase all the pain till its gone  
I wanna heal  
I wanna feel  
Like Im close to something real  
I want to find something I've wanted all along  
Somewhere I belong _

And I've got nothing to say  
I can't believe I didn't fall right down on my face  
I was confused  
Looking everywhere only to find  
That it's not the way I had imagined it all in my mind  
So what am I  
What do I have but negativity  
Cause I cant justify the way everyone is looking at me  
Nothing to loose  
Nothing to gain, hollow and alone  
And the fault is my own and the fault is my own

The blonde boy could easily say that the voice he was hearing now was more than ten times that of Relena's. The voice seemed into what was being sung. The listener could hear the emotions. It wasn't just a voice speaking rhythmically or screeching. It was a heart felt plea for understanding.

I wanna heal  
I wanna feel  
What I thought was never real  
I want to let go of the pain I felt so long  
Erase all the pain til its gone  
I wanna heal  
I wanna feel  
Like Im close to something real  
I want to find something Ive wanted all along  
Somewhere I belong

I will never know  
Myself until I do this on my own  
And I will never feel  
Anything else, until my wounds are healed  
I will never be anything  
till I break away from me  
I will break away  
I'll find myself today

I wanna heal  
I wanna feel  
What I thought was never real  
I want to let go of the pain I felt so long  
Erase all the pain till it's gone  
I wanna heal  
I wanna feel  
Like Im close to something real  
I want to find something Ive wanted all along  
Somewhere I belong

I wanna heal  
I wanna feel  
I wanna feel like I'm somewhere I belong

I wanna heal  
I wanna feel  
I wanna feel like I'm somewhere I belong

Somewhere I belong

Quatre finally located the owner of the voice when he kicked at a puddle, frustrated, and a string of curses spoken in that same breathtaking tenor was directed at him. The blonde looked down and saw a black-clad figure huddled next to the wall with a battered guitar peer up at him, violet eyes annoyed under the rim of the black baseball cap.

The excited boy turned to Trowa and started talking a mile a minute , meanwhile pulling on the stranger's arm to drag him to his feet. "Isn'thesoawesomeImeanhehadthebeastvoiceeveromigodhe'dbegreatforthebandandhecouldbeournewsingerandwasn'thegeatandhewasawesom, rightofcoursebutcanwekeephim?"

The young man with the unibang gave the street musician a half amused, half pitying look, knowing that there was no stopping the blo nd now.

The stranger just looked rather pissed and confused.

A/N: How was it? I have a tendency to write AU rock band ficcys, but whatever. Hopefully I can actually stick with this one for more than four chaters.

Next time: Wufei verbally kills the sap-- I mean, Quatre. Heero begins an emotional crisis, Duo puts on his masks and Trowa…well…is Trowa….


	2. Chapter 2

Title: This is How You Remind Me

Author: The Pathetic Otaku Child

Rating: T for now

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. All I own is…..well….I do own my Sketchies (read: all smudged sketchbooks of doom, old/used, currently in use or otherwise)…-.-'

And I don't own "Alone" (the song. It's the English translation of the 2nd Saiyuki ending theme. I was going through my lyrics and decided that it was relatively short, and would fit pretty well. I'm obsessive-compulsive about the songs fittin perfectly. BTW, I am open to good suggestions for scenes and/or songs. Credit will be given where credit is due, unless I forget, in which case you have the perfect right to yell and I shall fix it)

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4 in the background……poor Wufei, always the odd man out…..But we all love him anyway, right? Right? C'mon, he's our wonderful, ever angry comic relief in need of anger and stress management courses. You gotta love him!

Warnings: yaoi, blatant Relena-bashing, slight Quatre bashing….

A/n: A big "thank you" to all the people who reviewed. You know who you are. .- There was a lot more than expected, and it really encouraged me. Thanks again! throws sparkles

Oh, and if I neglect updating for a long periods of time, I apologize in advance, as I'm working on a novel with a friend right now. Just put the story on your watch list if you so desire and give me the occasional kick in the pants to remind me.

Chapter Two

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU NOT TO PICK RANDOM BUMS UP OFF OF THE STREET!?!?!?!?" the irate Chinese teen screamed.

Quatre peered over the top of the couch he was cowering behind and bestowed upon his angry friend a sunshine filled smile. "C'mon Wufei. Just wait until you've heard him sing!"

As soon as the blond had dragged the street musician (who he had learned was named Duo Maxwell) home and into a warm shower with a set of dry clothes and some hot soup waiting for him for when he got out, he'd called Wufei and Heero to inform them of his newfound "guest." Wufei had been the first to arrive, almost taking the door with him when he'd stormed in. Heero should arrive sometime soon.

Trowa came in then with Duo in tow, now dressed warmly and fed. His thigh length hair was drying loose for the moment. Both of the young men glared at Wufei.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't announce to all the neighbors the presence of a 'random bum', thank you," Trowa murmured as he steered the long haired boy to sit on the couch , effectively ending Quatre and Wufei's staring match (which consisted of glaring from the Chinese boy and a beaming, twinkling gaze from the Arab).

Wufei started and turned to look at the newcomer suspiciously. What met his eyes was quite different from what he expected.

Expected picture: Shoulder length scraggly, greasy hair; dirty nails; scar-ridden face; cold eyes; a sneer.

What he saw: Thigh length luxurious, chestnut colored hair that was getting ready to be braided; nails that were as clean as could be expected; no apparent scars; distant and uncertain albeit naturally warm blue-violet eyes; and a mouth that was curved in something between a rueful grin and a smirk.

Wufei scowled and opened his mouth to start the cross-examination, but never got to start as just then Heero walked in.

He was a sorry sight with his hair even more tousled than usual and bags under his eyes. Quatre jumped up from his hiding spot behind the couch. "Heero! Could you take him in?"

The brown haired teen stopped, halfway through the door way to the living room where the others were parked. "…say what?"

Quatre smiled pleasantly. "I'm afraid that Wufei would kill him and Trowa and I simply don't have enough room."

Duo blanched. "Hey, thanks for the food and everything, but that's a bit….hospitable, isn't it? You really don't need to…I can go now."

"Nonsense!" Quatre exclaimed, looking scandalized. "I could never let you leave until the other guys have at least heard you sing! Then they'll want you in the band for sure!"

Heero snorted. "Did he ever even say he wanted to be in the band? He probably hasn't even heard our stuff before, now has he?"

The blond blushed and looked down at his shuffling feet. "You're right. I never even gave him a choice."

Duo laughed genially and shook his head. "I'm willing to give it a shot. Been a while since I played with anyone. Besides, you're Colony Brats, right? I saw one of your early shows, back when you were still in high school. When you had that blond chick. Music wasn't too shabby overall though. I wouldn't mind playing with you."

Crossing his arms and snorting, Wufei studied he street musician before finally saying "All right, let's hear you."

Duo nodded and closed his eyes momentarily, thinking before beginning to sing softly.

_A dry breeze is blowing  
The city is getting cold  
I wonder how many seasons have passed  
without even a sound?_

_All of the people coming and going  
bear heavy burdens,  
searching for tomorrow  
within the heat haze wavering in the distance._.

_Feelings like sand  
falling through my hands...  
Back then, the words that pierced my heart  
suddenly started to throb with pain, but..._

_I've searched for pieces of myself,  
counting the endless nights all the while.  
These feelings are becoming so certain  
I almost lose myself.  
Right now, without fail, I will walk forward, however far._

Heero nodded to himself silently, eyes closing, unwittingly mirroring his band mates' movements. It was impossible to not be moved by the boy's words

_I wonder, why is the sky  
so vast?  
Even though I tried to yell, my voice didn't come  
and the tears poured out._

_I wonder where the birds are flying off to,  
as they freely slice through the wind?  
One can't return to the same place  
as it once was in days gone by._

_Even if I give up my dream like this,  
I won't suppress my soaring heartbeat.  
Someday, I want to reach  
as high as the clouds. __1__  
I'll spread wide the wings in my heart and journey once again_

_I will reach it, without fail._

_I've searched for pieces of myself,  
counting the endless nights all the while.  
These feelings are becoming so certain  
I almost lose myself.  
Right now, without fail, I will walk forward, however far._

After Duo trailed off, he wet his lips and slowly lifted his lids, waiting for the reactions of the other teens. Quatre grinned and dove forward to wrap the chestnut haired boy up in his arms for big hug. Duo chuckled after being surprised a moment and returned the affectionate gesture. Then the two looked to the others for their verdict.

"All in favor say 'aye,'" the blond suggested.

"Like a pirate!" Duo added, unable to hold himself back.

There was a short pause before a round of 'aye's, sadly none of which were drawn out in a guttural sound as Duo had requested. Except Quatre's. Trowa's had been drawn out a tad, due to his blonde's insistent elbow, but not enough to be qualified as a pirate sound.

Duo grinned a moment, before glancing at Heero's solemn face. The guy needed to lighten up. Or get laid. The braided teen couldn't understand why he had to be so glum. Life only lasted so long. After a few more minutes of arranging matters, Heero grunted and jerked his head towards the door. Duo nodded and stood, quickly, thanking everyone for their kindness before having to jog to catch up to his fast walking host.

"Hey…thanks."

Heero's answer was an eloquent grunt.

Duo frowned slightly, but cheerily forged on anyway." You didn't have to. So…where do you live? It's a pleasure to play with you guys. Hope you don't mind me bumming with you. Ha ha, bumming. I heard about that Relena bitch. How come she left? I—"

"Shut up" The Prussian eyed boy began walking faster.

Duo paused a second, rubbing the back of his head nervously before crying out "Hey, wait up!" and running after him.

A/n: Sorry, It's so short. But, as requested there was more story than song '''

Sorry about the pirate thing. My A&P teacher has a thing for pirates, and he's been incorporating "Arrr" and "Aye" into everything recently.

And it was a good place to end, so there. I promise that there'll be more next time.

Next time: Colony Brats gets a stage manager who's obsessed with choreography, Heero ties to ignore Duo (Bah! Impossible!), Duo annoys Heero (wanna guess how?), Wufei smiles (maybe. I'll have to scrounge up money to pay him), Quatre gets emotional (unusual?), and Trowa…ummmm….everyone finds out how…umm…..it's a surprise! Yeah, that's it...-.-'


	3. Chapter 3

Title: This is How You Remind Me

Author: The Pathetic Otaku Child

Rating: T for now

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. Do you think I'd be writing fanfiction if  
I did. No, I'd be making official stuff where Relena dies a long and painful death at the hands of everyone, who take turns like the good children they are…

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4 in the background……poor Wufei, always the odd man out…..But we all love him anyway, right? Right? C'mon, you gotta love him! Speaking of love, I found a cool ff on Duo/ Wufei called "Oh, Injustice"….that pairing won't be in this fanfic. Maybe another one…But check out the story anyway! I heart it. And if you like Heero/Duo, check out " Happy Heero, Monotone Duo." It's a gem.

Warnings: yaoi, blatant Relena-bashing, slight Quatre bashing….

a/N: Thanks to all the reviewers! You guys rock! This story is turning out to be a LOT more popular than I expected. And sorry for the lateness. I had to go to the hospital this weekend. And I'm trying to co-write a novel right now, which takes up a lot of time. All my other projects are put on hold, but I'll try to continue with this one, as it's so popular. Thanks again everyone! .- 3 tried to make it extra long……

Extra notes:

_italicized_ means song lyrics

if it is also _**bolded**_that means that the others (usually Heero, although others as well)are singing back up.

If it is _also underlined, _then that means that Heero is singing a duet w/ Duo and these are his particular lines

I will try to remember these. If I do not abide by hem, kick me.

Chapter 3

After Duo opened his eyes, it took him a few moments to figure out where he was. The small dark room was unfamiliar, and he started to panic before he realized it was just that icy guy, Heero's spare room. Not a hotel that some kidnappers had taken him to. Not the room of some serial killer or rapist. Just Heero's. Which was probably the better deal. Duo wasn't quite sure yet. Maybe if the guy would talk once in a while…

Reluctantly, the braided teen dragged himself from the admittedly comfy bed and threw on the change of clothes that Quatre and Trowa had given him. They'd also said something about going shopping soon. He'd have to take them up on their offer.

He walked into the kitchen rubbing the last bits of sleepiness from his eyes to find hid host sitting at the table with a mug of coffee in one hand and a phone in the other. He motioned for Duo to make himself at home while talking to the person on the other end of the line.

"No, we're not breaking up. No, we're not getting solo careers like Relena. And yes, we have found someone to replace her. Happy?...no……no…..YES! We are! Now if you're quite finished….A stage manager? Why the hell do we need one of those? We do not need choreography! We don't need fan service. If, on stage, one of us wants to dance, he can dance his ass off, but we are not planning any such thing! But-……We'll talk about this again later!"

Heero slammed down the 'end' button and set the phone down and glared at it as if it was a direct way to kill whoever had been on the other end. Duo shuffled his feet uncomfortably. He was still standing in the doorway. Finally the chocolate haired young man looked up and looked a little embarrassed.

"Who was that?"

"Oh…that was our pesky manager, Lucrezia Noin. She, may she burn forever in hell, wants us to get a stage manager. Says she's found a perfect one, name of Zechs Marquise. Personally, I think she's angry because she blames us for Relena's leaving and this is her little way of getting revenge."

Duo raised a skeptical eyebrow. "By making you dance?"

His host looked a little sheepish. "Yes, well, neither I nor Wufei are much of dancers. I'm sure he abhors it even more than I do. Trowa will with Quatre, who's our little dancing machine."

Laughing, the chestnut haired teen moved to the refrigerator and pulled out some butter and jelly. After he started the toaster he tuned to look at Heero, a mischievous twinkle in his amethyst eyes, and stated with a straight face, "Whelp, maybe you just need the right partner. I've been told that I'm an amazing…dancer." H stated this slowly, in a husky tone as he stepped closer to the table.

Heero blushed but couldn't tear his eyes away. There was a tension filled pause before Duo suddenly started dancing and singing about Time Warps and pelvic thrusts. The poor host's cheeks only grew redder. But a small smile played at his lips as he watched the other teen's antics, which only stopped after his toast popped up and he had to spread on his chosen condiments before it grew cold.

Heero quickly regained his cold composure and looked away a moment before putting his dishes in the sink. "We leave in forty-five minutes to go to a band meeting," he said before leaving the room.

Duo gobbled down his breakfast as quickly as he could without choking or getting the hiccups, which was actually quite an amazing feat, considering it took him all of 45 seconds. Hey, he'd never been one to pass up food. After his hurried breakfast, he headed off to the spare bedroom he was currently residing in and scrounged up the only pair of clean clothes he had: his black clothes he'd been wearing when Quatre had picked him up. They'd been washed luckily but, sadly, were the only pieces of clothing he owned at the moment. Reluctantly, he grabbed the ratty black jeans and t-shirt and jogged to the recently vacated bathroom to shower, shave and get dressed.

After he finished, he headed back to the kitchen and saw Heero sitting there, newspaper in hand. "Hey. You think we could go shopping clothes sometime soon? I'm a little…short. Of just about everything."

Heero nodded slowly. "I suppose we could after the band meeting. Mall?"

Duo grinned enthusiastically and bounced a bo on the balls of his feet. "Awesome! Could we go to Hot Topic? And Spencers? And—"

"Yes. Damare." With that, Heero put down the paper and got his car keys before heading towards the front door. The chestnut haired teen just looked confused a moment before following after the other man.

They exited the condo-Duo was itching to know how Heero'd paid for it but knew better than to ask because he'd probably only get a grunt- and got into Heero's little '87 Mustang. Duo whistled appreciatively before sliding in and buckling the seatbelt. "Nice car," he murmured as he locked around. The car may have been old, but it was in mint condition; not a scratch or rip to be seen.

About fifteen minutes later, they came up in front of a small, fundamental gray building closer to the inner city. As the two boys walked in, Duo couldn't help but analyze all that met his gaze, from the innocent EXIT sign to the young receptionist. All his years on the streets had taught him to find all exits he could in a new place, so it was one of his most basic of habits; that and never let the cops catch you.

Heero steered the braided boy down the hall and into one of the rooms that led off of it. Inside were the other boys and a young man and woman that Duo didn't recognize. Quatre stood and came over, smiling amiably.

"Hey, glad you're joining up with us. This is Ms. Noin, our manager. And this is our newest addition besides you, Zechs Marquise. He'll be helping Ms. Noin, since we're starting to get bigger and more well-known. "

Noin eyed Duo speculatively. Finally she huffed, "All right, let's see if you live up ti everything that Quatre's been babbling about. Go ahead."

The chestnut-haired teen nodded and turned to the others. Do you know Bad Reputation, by Halfcocked?" The others confirmed that they did and each grabbed their instrument: Wufei had drums, Trowa bass, Quatre keyboard (or whatever extra instrument was needed), and Heero an guitar. He and the others had always provided background vocals, but Heero was always the one who sang the duet part if there was one. The boys were pretty sure that they would still do that.

Duo picked up a guitar as well, earning him an eyebrow from Noin. Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing after all. Relena had never been willing to even learn how to play; might break a nail or something. And this boy had a kind of charisma. The woman already felt herself liking him, against her will.

Duo decided to throw in a wisecrack before he started. "I know that a girl sings this and I have a braid and all, but I am most definitely male." He only smiles cheerily at the others as they flushed and signaled that he was ready to start.

_I don't give a damn about my reputation  
You're living in the past, it's a new generation  
Hey, a girl can do what she wants to do  
And that's what I'm gonna do _

And I don't give a damn about my bad reputation  
Oh no/ _**No, no, no, no, no, no, no**__  
Not me /__**Me, me, me, me, me, me**_

And I don't give a damn about my reputation  
I never said I wanted to improve my station  
And I'm only feeling good when I'm having fun  
And I don't have to please no one

Noin and Zechs blinked. They had been expecting the long haired boy to be pretty good, but... this was extraordinary. They both wondered in shock how such talent had gone undiscovered for so long. His slightly raspy voice may have been a little strained and out of practice, but they were experienced ears and could hear, no , feel the raw talent. The rest of the band seemed to also feel the energy, and were playing better than ever, even if they didn't know the song well or had practiced in a while. There was something very different from when Relena had been there

_And I don't give a damn about my bad reputation  
Oh no / __**No, no, no, no, no, no, no**__  
Not me / __**Me, me, me, me, me, me**__  
Oh no / __**No, no, no, no, no, no, no**__  
Not me / __**Me, me, me, me, me, me**_

And I don't give a damn about my reputation  
I've never been afraid of any deviation  
And I don't really care if I'm strange  
I ain't gonna change

And I'm never gonna care about my bad reputation  
Oh no / _**No, no, no, no, no, no, no**__  
Not me / __**Me, me, me, me, me, me**__  
Oh no / __**No, no, no, no, no, no, no**__  
Not me / __**Me, me, me, me, me, me**__  
Break it down _

And I don't give a damn about my reputation  
The world's in trouble, there's no communication  
And everyone can say what they want to say  
It never gets better anyway

So why should I care about a bad reputation, anyway  
Oh no / _**No, no, no, no, no, no, no  
**__Not me / __**Me, me, me, me, me, me**__  
Oh no / __**No, no, no, no, no, no, no**__  
Not me / __**Me, me, me, me, me, me**_

Oh no / _**No, no, no, no, no, no, no**__  
Not me / __**Me, me, me, me, me, me  
**__Oh no / __**No, no, no, no, no, no, no**__  
Not me / __**Me, me, me, me, me, me**_

After papers and all the other introductory processes had been squared away, Quatre suggested that everyone go out for pizza. It took a few minutes of pestering from Duo and our blond friend, but soon after the whole gang was seated at the nearest of Pizza Hut ( A/N: which I don't own…) and happily munching away on a few Deluxes. Except for Wufei, who was ranting about the nutritional value or lack thereof, and Heero, who had the same thoughts more or less, but decided to keep them to himself. He had a feeling that his opinion would not be well received, judging by the fact that the two more rambunctious members of their group had begun throwing napkins at the Chinese boy.

And it didn't help any that Maxwell's leg kept bumping his thigh every time he moved, which was constantly. It was distracting. Heero stared down at the crumbs on his plate as if they were the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything and not 42. What the hell was going on? He'd just met the braided teen, and only a few weeks after breaking up with his first and only girlfriend. So what was with these weird feelings he was getting all of a sudden? It was unlike him.

He sighed, earning himself a poke in the ribs from Duo.

"Hee-man, you alright? Everyone's about ready to go, and you said we could go shopping," the hyperactive teen chirped as he bounced up and down on the vinyl seat.

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Hee-man?"

Duo shrugged before grabbing at the other boy to pull him yo his feet. "So I like giving people pet names. Now. C'mon, you promised we could go shopping."

After giving their goodbyes, the two got themselves back into the dark brown haired boys car.

A few silent minutes into the ride, Duo couldn't stand it anymore. He reached over to turn on the radio before settling back. But after the commercial ended, both boys were shocked to hear one particular girl's voice coming in over the airwaves

_From underneath the trees, we watch the sky  
confusing stars with satellites  
I never dreamed that you'd be mine  
But here we are, we're here tonight _

Singing Amen, I, I'm alive  
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive

If everyone cared and nobody cried  
If everyone loved and nobody lied  
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride  
Then we'd see the day, when nobody died**  
****  
**_And I'm singing  
A, Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive  
Amen I, Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive_

_And in the air the fireflies  
Our only light in paradise  
would show the world they were wrong  
And teach them all to sing along _

Singing Amen, I, I'm alive  
Singing A, Amen, I, I'm alive

If everyone cared and nobody cried  
If everyone loved and nobody lied  
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride  
Then we'd see the day, when nobody died

If everyone cared and nobody cried  
If everyone loved and nobody lied  
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride  
Then we'd see the day, when nobody died

When nobody died...  
ahh ahh...

And as we lie beneath the stars  
We realize how small we are  
If they could love like you and me  
Imagine what the world could be

If everyone cared and nobody cried  
If everyone loved and nobody lied  
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride  
Then we'd see the day, when nobody died

If everyone cared and nobody cried  
If everyone loved and nobody lied  
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride  
Then we'd see the day, when nobody died

We'd see the day, we'd see the day  
When nobody died...  
We'd see the day, we'd see the day  
When nobody died...died...!  
We'd see the day when nobody died

Sometime during the song, Heero had pulled over to the side of the road. Duo looked over at him as soon as the song ended. He couldn't see the other boy's face, and he shifted uncertainly.

"Uh.. that was Relena, wasn't it?."

Heero continued staring out the window for a few moments, composing himself, befor he turned to the braided teen. "Yes," he gritted out. "Singing that fucking song that Quatre and I wrote. She didn't even give us credit. And she went and won an Emmy…without us…without me…" He trailed off, unable to look at the other boy, and turned his attention back to the window.

Silence reigned suppreme a little while longer before Heero finally started up the car again and drove back onto the road. "We better get you your clothes."

A/N: long enough? Sorry if Heero seems a little OOC, but this is a Heero who did not fight in a war and was not trained to be a perfect soldier, so….yeah. Dun worry, they kill the pink princess later (Unfortunately, not literally). And sorry about no Wuffie Smile as I promised. I didn't have enough money to pay him.

Next Time: Duo gets to annoy Heero again, this time by… SHOPPING!!!Bwahahaha! Heero gets a large credit card bill caused by said shopping, Trowa takes the cake (?), Quatre turns out to be a lot scarier than everyone figured, and Wufei …..is still demanding money for the promised smile. sigh Can't work with these people….


	4. Chapter 4

Title: This is How You Remind Me

Author: The Pathetic Otaku Child

Rating: T for now

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. Do you think I'd be writing fanfiction if  
I did? No, I'd be making official stuff where Relena dies a long and painful death at the hands of everyone, who take turns like the good children they are… And I don't own any of the stores or brands mentioned here.

Pairings: 1x2x1, 3x4 in the background……poor Wufei, always the odd man out…..But we all love him anyway, right? Right? C'mon, you gotta love him!

Warnings: yaoi, shounen- ai, blatant Relena-bashing, slight Quatre bashing

A/N: laughs this is what I act like in Hot Topic…scary, man…Unfortunately, I do not own the resources to buy Goth pants….T.T So this is like my dream shopping spree…lucky Duo! Sorry for the late updating, but we just got a PS2, and that means…DDR!!!! I suck at it, but it's fun! (I only do good in the Beginner level for most songs...T.T). That's a totally lame excuse though. I'm also busy getting an RP site up for meh friends at school so we can stay in contact over the summer, and as I said in meh last update, I had to go to the ER. Yeah. And I went on vacation for a week. And I'm starting summer college classes. So I've been a busy little girl.

Extra notes:

_italicized_ means song lyrics

if it is also _**bolded**_that means that the others (usually Heero, although others as well)are singing back up.

If it is _also underlined, _then that means that Heero is singing a duet w/ Duo and these are his particular lines

If it is _**like this**_, then Duo and Heero are singing a duet, and singing together.

I will try to remember these. If I do not abide by hem, kick me.

Chapter Four

As the two boys drove into the mall parking lot, Heero felt a wave of apprehension, due to the fact that he remembered the traumatizing experiences of shopping with Relena. He could only hope that Duo didn't have a penchant for frilly pink dresses. After entering the mall, Duo bounced along, every once in a while looking back to make sure that Heero was not being left behind in the wake of the braided whirlwind.

Heero half expected the chestnut haired boy to turn in at the Gap, but was a little relieved when he instead headed off to Hot Topic. Just as he entered the dark store, he heard a squeal of delight ahead of him and saw a black blur with a streaming chestnut tail run pell-mell towards the rack of bondage pants.

"LOOK! Here's some with neon blue edging! And here's some green ones! Oooh, red! And , of course the traditional pure, total black. But the ones with the blue have handcuffs… and these ones have free gloves that come with. Hmmm…decisions, decisions…" He looked genuinely torn among the selections.

The chocolate haired boy felt a small smile tugging at his lips. "You can get two pairs of pants here, baka. And four shirts. There are other stores as well. "

Duo's whole face brightened as he beamed at his benefactor. "Oh thank you, Heero-sama, thank you!"

Before Heero had a chance to query about the amount of sarcasm in that gratitude, the human whirlwind was making his way around the store, grabbing what caught his interest and heading to the little curtained off part in the back that served as a changing room.

When all was said and done at that particular store, Duo had gotten away with quite a lot: a punk-ish pinstripe suit that might be able to be used for formal occasions; six band tees, the pair of black bondage pants with neon blue edging and handcuffs among the chains; another pair of chain-decorated pants, these ones also black, but with blood red Kanji for yokubo (lust), bi (beauty), ai (love), chi (blood), hi (fire), and chikara (strength); a couple pairs of arm warmers, one black with chains and zippers, the other striped with alternating black and red; a traditionally silver studded belt; some various wristbands with insults sewed on; a beaded (looks like a rosary) choker-like necklace with a matching bracelet; and a sweatshirt with a picture of a chibi ninja that said "My parents said I could grow up to be anything I wanted, so I became a Ninja".

Duo looked extremely proud of himself as the two walked out with all of their many bags. On the other hand, Heero seemed a bit pale. Colony Brats may have been doing fairly well, but they weren't internationally known…yet. That meant that he couldn't exactly have the full rock star lifestyle yet either. All he could do was pray to the credit card gods.

They stopped quickly at Zumiez to pick up some jeans and plain colored and/ or insulting shirts, a hat, and some black Converses. Heero decided that if he didn't get the braided teen out of the mall quickly, he would have no more money in his bank account, so he managed to distract his rambunctious guest with the food court before finally getting him out of the door and into the car.

But the ride home was strangely quiet.

Finally Heero broke the silence when he turned to Duo and demanded to know why he was so uncharacteristically silent.

The braided boy looked up slowly, almost shyly. His silence reigned for a few more seconds before he spoke as well. " I….I made you spend so much. Too much. We should take most of it back." In his mind, he knew that Heero could probably pay for it, but his on-the-street training had made him extremely cost conscious. He almost couldn't take in how much had been spent after he'd caught sight of the receipts. And now he felt terrible. He would have never made the amount of money for their shopping trip in a year on the street doing honest work. And the other kind was dangerous. It had its own price, and Duo would be the first one to admit that Juvie was not a fun place to be.

Much to the chestnut maned teen's surprise, the usually stoic and solemn young man began to chuckle.

Scowling, Duo asked indignantly "And just what the hell is so funny?"

Heero turned to smirk at the confused teen. "Listen, I'm a rock star. Maybe only a B-lister so far, but still. I can pay for this. You just have to promise me that you'll try hard to help us get to the top. It's time to join the rat race."

The chestnut haired boy smirked back. "I've been in the damn thing since I was born."

The darker haired teen smiled for another second before putting away the rarity from his face and turning his attention back to the road. "Good. Then you can probably give the rest of us some pointers."

"Sure thing."

". . . "

"OOHH!!!LOOK! Dairy Queen! Can we get some Blizzards, please, pleae, please!?!?"

"GET THE HELL DOWN! I can't see when you're in the goddamn way! Look, you almost got us into an accident!"

"…sorry."

"You should be. Sit still, please." Heero took deep breaths. The rambunctious teen had blocked his view of the road for a few moments there. That tended to not be a good thing, and statistics proved that such things usually resulted in accidents. Often fatal ones.

Heero sensed that it wouldn't be all smooth sailing in his life now the rambunctious teen had entered it. The feeling doubled as he watched Duo begin bouncing and begging for ice cream again, this time while also jeering at the other cars and cursing at a few especially bad drivers in several tongues with and impressive vocabulary.

"_Shimatta_! That _Depp's_ license should be taken away. Heero, the blizzard of the monthe is Pecan Cluster! I love that flavor. _Deiner mutter ist eine Zicke und ist sehr gemutlich im Bett mit sie hend!!_"

Yep, he was in for a wild if not entertaining ride.

A/N: In case you were wondering, _Depp_ is "twit" or "prick" in German. And the long phrase means "Your mom is a bitch and is very comfortable in bed with her hands."

Yes. Basically all we did is come up with weird shit such as:

_In meiner freitzeit, I liebe kleine kinder gegessen _In my free time, I love to eat small children

_Halsfleish ist sehr lecker! _Neckmeat is very tasty!

_Deiner Mutter im bett mit ein pattle _Your mom in bed with a paddle

_Es ist keine hose zeit! __Jucche! _It's no pants time! Hooray!

_Mochten sie ein Ente kaufen? _Want to buy a duck?

And we had a lot that were even crazier ( _tacoauto _is taco truck, _poltanzen_ is pole dance,_ preis_ is price and _Drogenhandler_ is drugdealer.) We had the awesomest skits. Good times.

And sorry that my "Next time"s aren't very accurate...


	5. Chapter 5

Title: This is How You Remind Me

Author: Pathetic Otaku Child

Rating: T for now

Disclaimer: sigh No I don't own. Man, can disclaimers be repetitious and boring…

Pairings: 1x2x1, 3x4 in the background……poor Wufei, always the odd man out…..But we all love him anyway, right? Right? C'mon, you gotta love him! (BTW, I'll also be writing a Duo/Wufei. Poor guy needs some lovin' 83)

Warnings: yaoi, shounen- ai, blatant Relena-bashing, slight Quatre bashing

A/N: I'm Spazzing SO much right now. I _just_ realized that Seki Toshihiko not only did the Japanese voie for Sanzo from _Saiyuki_, but also for Duo! I didn't make the connection earlier because I usually listen in English, but I went to find more anime music and that's how I found out. Ah gots ta have meh Muzeek feeeeexxxxxx!!!!!!

Oh! Thanks to all of my reviewers! You guys are great. throws Heeero plushies, keeping the Duo plushies for the POC's own selfish self Nyahahahahahaha! And I mustn't forget the sparkles. sparkles magically rain down from the heavens

Extra notes:

_italicized_ means song lyrics

if it is also _**bolded**_that means that the others (usually Heero, although others as well)are singing back up.

If it is _also underlined, _then that means that Heero is singing a duet w/ Duo and these are his particular lines

If it is _**like this**_, then Duo and Heero are singing a duet, and singing together.

I will try to remember these. If I do not abide by hem, kick me.

**Chapter Five**

The door bell rang bright and early Sunday morning, unjustly disturbing our favorite teenager named Dou's peaceful and satisfying slumber. He grumpily pulled a pillow over his head, but to no avail. Quatre came bounding in his room, as cheerful , exuberant and peppy as usual.

"Duo, don't tell me you're still sleeping! Why, it's 8:00 in the morning!"

"Exactly…" Duo mumbled before attempting to burrow deeper into the comfy, warm recesses of the blankets and regain his nice rest.

Quatre frowned at the half slumbering form before turning to look at Heero, who had let him in, traitor that he was. Heero was actually dressed (unlike the poor chestnut haired teen, who only had on his boxers) in jeans and a t-shirt. However, his hair was as messy as was typical, and it seemed to be untamable. He had gotten up at six, which wasn't unusual for him. "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise," and all that. Plus he'd decided that he would try to serve his new roomie a proper breakfast, knowing that food was always appreciated.

Heero blinked at Quatre's expression. Obviously he was supposed to do something about the situation. The tousle haired young man looked over at the bed speculatively a moment before striding over, taking hold of the mattress, and neatly flipping it over. Duo tumbled onto the floor, instantly awake and cursing. The blonde let out a startled laugh at the sight.

Duo's messy head poked up over the edge of the upturned mattress and lavender eyes glittered dangerously at the other two teens. "Fucking morning bastards…"

Quatre simply smiled pleasantly at him before he wandered over to the room's dresser. "Time to get you dressed."

Duo raised an eyebrow. "Okay, you come in here, wake me at 8'o friggin' clock, badily force me out of bed, and now you're going to dress me? As the Aussies say, WTF, mate?"

Heero smirked at the pissed teen and jerked a thumb towards the kitchen. "I'll be making breakfast."

Quatre and Duo spoke at the same time, "And leave me here alone to deal with him?" and pointed at each other, both wearing mock expressions of horror.

"Yep. Will you be joining us or breakfast, Quatre?"

"Oh, I couldn't. Trowa always cooks, and he just makes so much. I'm always stuffed. It really is good though. Duo, you should join us sometime….what's the matter?"

Duo had turned an unnatural color, due mostly to the fact that he was trying not to laugh, and rather failing spectacularly at it. How his mind jumped to find innuendo in such innocently spoken words no one could ever discover.

Heero blushed a little, realizing finally what the other boy was laughing at and at Quatre's innocent and confused look. Wisely, he retreated quietly to the kitchen.

The blonde shrugged, still uncomprehending before turning back t the matter at hand: forcing the long haired boy to his will. This right now meant getting him looking good and ready for human association.

Quatre nodded at the selection of newly bought clothes appreciatively before pulling out the black and red pair if kanji-ed Goth pants, a tight black shirt that read "_Talk to strangers. They have the best candy_." From the closet he grabbed the re converses. The rosary like necklace and bracelet set came from the top of the dresser, along with a thin leather wristband that laced up with multicolored rubber bands. Then he turned to take a closer look at his victim, who at the moment as trying to untangle himself from the sheets and stand up off the floor.

"Would you be okay with some simple make up? Mostly around the eyes…"

Duo froze, then cast a teasing eye on his friend. "Do you know just how stereotypically gay you are?"

Quatre sighed. "No. I met a guy in the mall the other week in the shoe store. He even put his arm out and talked funny. _He_ was amazingly stereotypical. I'm just a bit obvious. Anyway, take a shower and put these on. After you finish eating, everyone's meeting up for a photo shoot. The news is going to be made official that we have a new member, and we want some pictures to go with it. Also, we had to take all of Relena's pictures off the website and we're going to put yours up in her place. Now go eat while I get everything ready."

It took Duo a moment to file everything he'd been told away before he nodded and wandered into the kitchen, still clad in only a pair of plaid boxers, 'cause boxers win out over any other type of underwear any day and plaid rules the planet, due to the fact that it has Scottish origins. Real pirates wear plaid, after all. Then again, real pirates also used plungers as weapons… (A/n: blatant quote of my friend's older sister. And the plunger bit came from Abnition, another friend of mine. Go check out her stuff on DA. You won't regret it.)

Yes, Duo's mind was a strange place to be this early in the morning.

His violet eyes widened slightly at the "food" on the table. There was some burned toast that had obviously been scraped unsuccessfully, very crispy bacon, and some undercooked eggs. The only thing that really looked safe was the orange juice, which was premade.

He looked over at his host who was diligently gnawing away at a piece of bacon. "Uhmmm…Hee-man, did you ever take cooking lessons. No offense, but…it might help."

Heero looked helplessly down at the meal he'd prepared. "None taken, I think you may be right. I never really tried my hand at cooking before. What if we skip breakfast and have brunch out after the photo shoot? And….isn 't He-Man a cartoon character from the '80's?"

The braided boy smirked. "Sounds great. And yes, it is. But don't worry. You're much better looking than that buffed up geek."

They stared at each other a moment before Duo grinned maniacally. "So…since neither of us are decent cooks, it's take out from here on out now, right?"

Heero nodded resignedly. "Not very healthy, but…"

"Don't worry, be happy! We'll order _some_ good for us stuff sometimes. Like Italian. That has all of the food groups! Pasta with meat, veggies and dairy. And dessert with fruit and sugar. And stuff."

The other teen couldn't help but smile. "All right, get a move on, you."

Duo punched him in the arm, in that friendly way that boys do, smiled and scurried off yo use the shower and be forced into smexy clothing by Quatre. If he had refused to, he'd probably be cried on or something.

Duo stared at the cameras pointed at him, feeling rather uncomfortable at the moment. The other four guys and the managers stood behind the two cameras and tried to look helpful.

Don't get him wrong, he was fine with getting his picture taken. It was just that the photographers wanted him to act like they weren't there. He was supposed to pose as if he wasn't. It was rather confusing, really. Finally he sighed, put his hands on his hips and cocked an eyebrow at his new friends, silently questioning how much longer this would go on.

The cameramen exclaimed happily, "Yes! That's good, the pissed off look!" and started snapping away.

Okay. If they wanted angsty. . . Duo slid to his knees, arching his back slightly and looked up at the cloudy sky. His hands were clenched on the concrete and he called a few fake tears to roll down his cheeks. As if on cue, the heavens opened up and a soft rain began to fall.

This caused the photographers to coo and warble happily amongst themselves once more.

Duo hopped up off the ground and started splashing childishly in a puddle, grinning mischievously and prompting another round of "clicks" of the cameras.

Then he motioned for the other guys to come forward. "Might as well get a group picture. United front and all that."

They obliged, possibly a bit more than was probably needed. The group swarmed its newest member and each boy became properly soaked and care free looking as they engaged in a splashing fight.

After the photo shoot was finished, everyone scattered to their respective homes to dry off and put on dry clothes.

Then Heero took Duo out to eat as promised. He had the pleasure of watching, wide-eyed, as the braided teen scarfed down three burgers, an extra large chocolate shake, and a medium carton of fries as well as a large swirl cone.

The tousle headed boy was in awe of Duo's Mad Eating Skillz, as he well should have been.

A/N: hey! I don't beg for reviews, but it was saddening how little reviews there were last chapter compared to usual. The people who did review were cool though and therefore are as of now declared officially awesome (you know who you are! .-) On a totally awesome note, many people have added this story to their watch list and four added it to their favorites! And 2890 views! gasp Is this story really that good? I was shocked and happily surprised. nod nod What a way to boost my 1" high self esteem! It's probably at an all time high of 1 ½" right now. laughs Well, if it's liked that much, I shall continue to do my best. Salutes

SPECIAL, probably one time offer! If you review, you can suggest a pose or picky for our GW boys when I draw them. (POC has Artist's Block) So check my DA profile (link on my page and vice versa) for updates. I'll try to remember to give you credit for the idea. Unfortunately, even if I do draw it, it might take a while to scan and upload, as I'm trying to get a new scanner. I will try to hurry, just for you though. .


	6. Chapter 6

Title: This is How You Remind Me

Author: Pathetic Otaku Child

Rating: T for now

Disclaimer: If you think I own these boys, your mistaken…sadly… I also don't own "Remember to Forget You". That belongs to Play. And "Hit The Floor" belongs to Linkin Park

Pairings: 1x2x1, 3x4 in the background……poor Wufei, always the odd man out…..But we all love him anyway, right? Right? C'mon, you gotta love him!

Warnings: yaoi, shounen- ai, blatant Relena-bashing, slight Quatre bashing

A/N: I finally got to see _Saw_, not that that's relevant. The whole jumping out of closets was the thing that really scared me, the ret I enjoyed immensely.

Extra notes:

_italicized_ means song lyrics

if it is also _**bolded**_that means that the others (usually Heero, although others as well)are singing back up.

If it is _also underlined, _then that means that Heero is singing a duet w/ Duo and these are his particular lines

If it is _**like this**_, then Duo and Heero are singing a duet, and singing together.

I will try to remember these. If I do not abide by hem, kick me.

**Chapter Six**

"My god! That conniving bitch!"

Duo looked up sharply from where he'd been tuning his guitar, set it down and walked into the living room, where Heero stood, glaring at the offending radio, where Relena's sadly unmistakable voice came through.

"No oh, remember to forget you  
No oh, remember to forget you  
No oh, remember to forget you

Sometimes I really really miss you  
And when I really really start to  
I stop myself from doing  
Something that I might regret  
Like picking up the phone to call you  
Like hanging out and dreaming of you  
Like thinking back to the very first moment we met  
Then it comes like a flash  
That's when I

I remember to forget your name  
As you play your games on someone else  
I got a lot of things to do with someone who  
Loves me better, better than you  
Not the same 'cause you changed around the rules  
Since there's nothing left to second guess  
I remember to forget

Oh ooh whoa ooh whoa  
I remember to forget  
Oh yeah  
Ohhhhhhh

Some days it's very very easy  
To feel like you and I were really  
So meant to be together  
So meant to try love again  
When will I ever meet another?  
Am I always gonna wonder?  
'Bout what you're doing, where you are  
And if my heart will mend?  
Then it comes like a flash  
That when I

I remember to forget your name  
As you play your games on someone else (No ohh)  
I got a lot of things to do with someone who  
Loves me better, better than you (Ohh yeah)  
Not the same 'cause you changed around the rules  
Since there's nothing left to second guess (No ohhh)  
I remember to forget

I remember to forget your name  
As you play your games on someone else  
I got a lot of things to do with someone who  
Loves me better, better than you

Not the same—"

The music abruptly stopped when Duo ripped the plug out of the wall, seeing the effect it was having on his friend. "I'm so sorry. . . "

"Why is she doing this? Hasn't she hurt us enough already? Why does she have to say that _I'm_ the bad guy? _She's _the one who lied, used us and threw us away like trash when she was done! Why? . . ."

Duo looked on sadly as Heero fought back his angry tears. The feeling of a friend's betrayal is the worst in the world. When you thought that they were the one special person that you could trust with everything, but it turned out that they used you and didn't care a bit if you went home and cried. Or if you had a home. It was horrible, and all he could do was pat Heero's back.

Wait. . .maybe not all. "Heero. She's slamming you through song, right? And she may have gotten the first swing in, but I think that we can get the next one. C'mon, we can't show her that we're gonna cower down like dogs. No, we're gonna stand up and kick her sorry little fat pink ass!"

Heero blinked. "And how do you plan on doing that?"

The braided teen looked thoughtful for just a moment before he snapped, "The same way she did. In song! C'mon, time to get composing."

A few hours of blood sweat and tears later, they held in their grimy little hands a raw but promising looking song. Heero actually got to sing most o it this time, as it was his revenge.

_There are just too many times that people have tried to look inside of me  
Wondering what I think of you and I protect you out of courtesy  
Too many times that I've held on what I needed to push away  
Afraid to say what was on my mind afraid to say what I need to say  
Too many things that you said about me when I'm not around  
You think having the upper hand means you gotta keep putting me down  
But I've had too many standoffs with you it's about as much as I can stand  
So I'm waiting until the upper hand is mine_

_One minute you're on top_  
_Next you're not watch you drop_  
_Making your heart stop_  
_Just before you hit the floor_  
_One minute you're on top_  
_Next you're not missed a shot_  
_Making you're heart stop  
__You think you've won__  
And then it's all gone_  
  
_So many people like me put so much trust in all your lies  
So concerned with what you think to just say what we feel inside  
So many people like me walk on eggshells all day long  
All I know is that all I want is to feel like I'm not stepped on  
There are so many things you say that make me feel you crossed the line  
What goes up will surely fall and I'm counting down the time  
Cause I've had so many standoffs with you it's about as much as I can stand  
So I'm waiting until the upper hand is mine  
_  
_One minute you're on top  
__Next you're not watch you drop__  
Making your heart stop  
__Just before you hit the floor__  
One minute you're on top  
__Next you're not missed a shot__  
Making you're heart stop  
__You think you've won__  
And then it's all gone  
And then he's all gone  
And then it's all gone  
And then he's all gone  
Now it's all gone  
_  
_I know I'll never trust a single thing you say  
You knew your lies would divide us but you lied anyway  
And all the lies have got you floating up above us all  
But what goes up has got to fall  
_  
_One minute you're on top  
__Next you're not watch you drop__  
Making your heart stop  
__Just before you hit the floor__  
One minute you're on top  
__Next you're not missed a shot__  
Making you're heart stop  
__You think you've won  
__And then it's all gone  
And then he's all gone  
And then it's all gone  
And then he's all gone  
__**Now it's all gone**_

Duo glanced over at the constantly bed headed teen beside him. "Ready for the managers' say?"

Heero stared down at the papers a moment before the tiniest of smiles graced his lips. "Yeah. Let's set this baby free on the airwaves."

A/N: -bows repeatedly- Sssoooooo sorry minna-san! This was mostly an interlude thingie. The next chapter will take place a few months after Duo joined, so now the public is starting to notice 'em. This chappie was short and it's 98 percent song, but….the plot bunnies will not leave me alone for other fics. Go look at me updated profile page if you don't believe me. And the sad thing is that the ideas on there are not the only ones. I've got at least 6 more (mostly comedy one shots, but w/e) You're all going to hate me now, but I have to go back to working on me college essays. I promise the next one will be better. I promise! TT.TT Just don't kill me or there won't be a next chapter. And I'm looking for betas...


	7. Chapter 7

Author: Pathetic Otaku Child

Rating: T for now

Disclaimer: Don't own, never will unless I win the lottery. And I don't own "The Staggering Genius" by Superdrag.

Pairings: 1x2x1, 3x4 in the background……poor Wufei, always the odd man out…..But we all love him anyway, right? Right? C'mon, you gotta love him!

Warnings: yaoi, shounen- ai, blatant Relena-bashing, slight Quatre bashing

A/N: I finally got to see _Saw_, not that that's relevant. The whole jumping out of closets was the thing that really scared me, the ret I enjoyed immensely.

Extra notes:

_italicized_ means song lyrics

if it is also _**bolded**_that means that the others (usually Heero, although others as well)are singing back up.

If it is _also underlined, _then that means that Heero is singing a duet w/ Duo and these are his particular lines

If it is _**like this**_, then Duo and Heero are singing a duet, and singing together.

I will try to remember these. If I do not abide by hem, kick me.

**Chapter seven**

"Road trip, road trip, road trip, la la la!" Duo and Quatre sang out as they danced around the tour bus. It had been a few months since they had released "Hit the Floor" and they'd slowly gained popularity until they were even better known and liked than they had been with Relena. And since Zechs and Noin felt that the boys were at the top of their game, they'd decided that a tour would be great. The boys seemed to agree.

Wufei was watching the roadies, suspicion evident in his dark eyes. Just in case the dropped one of the drums they were loading or one of them tried running off with his snare. Trowa sat on the step of the bus step and watched Quatre with an amused glint in his green eyes. Next to him, Heero was leaning against the side of the bus. The chocolate haired young man just stared at the antics, meanwhile fighting down his nervousness. Anything could go wrong. This tour meant a lot. How it went would seriously affect their image and how people felt about them, as they were still teetering on the brink of the A listers.

If only knew how justified his worries were….

A couple hours later, they were on the road and on the way south to Los Angeles, where the first in a long line of concerts was to be held at. Then it would be on to Albuquerque, Houston, New Orleans, Tampa, Washington D.C., Boston, New York City, Chicago, Denver and Boise, respectively. Then a final concert back in Seattle. It was hoped to be big success. And it just might be, according to the new websites popping up and the amount of tickets sold.

_- A few weeks pass, as the author is a stupid lazy bum. In the meantime, LA did fine, there was a minor incident involving some guys trying to get on stage in Albuquerque, and the place was packed in Houston. All the others went fine too, and the boys are now on their way to Boise. Thank you for not killing the Author. You mat now go back to your regularly scheduled fanfic-_

"Dammit, what a time to be stuck in traffic," Duo grumbled as he paced back and forth on the bus. Unfortunately for the band, there had been a twenty car pile up, and no one on the road was going to be moving anywhere for a good long while. On the other hand, no screaming fans had been pounding on the door for autographs.

"Ohmigod, look!"

Spoken too soon.

A large mass of girls-most of them were girls anyway- came to stand around the bus. The boys could see them pressed against the window.

"Oh wow! It's them!"

"It's that hot guy with the braid, oh my gawd!"

"Holy shit, I can not believe I'm seeing Heero Yuy with my own two eyes!"

"Ah, it's Trowa, the emo-looking ((Trowa twitched minutely))bass player! Wish he could play me like that bass."

"You moron! He's with Quatre."

"You're serious? He's gay? Oh my GOD! How sweet is that?"

"I heard that they're all gay."

"Five gay guys? You think they have orgies?"

"You go sister, that's the hottest thing I've ever thought!"

"I know. I mean, what's hotter than good looking fags?"

"HOT GAY MEN! HOT GAY MEN! HOT GAY MEN! HOT GAY MEN!" This became the fangirls' collective mantra for the next half hour.

Finally, Wufei couldn't take it any more. "Stupid ONNAS! I never was gay! But I sure a shell don't like girls now! Damned annoying little bitches…"

The fangirls' response was to giggle about how adorable his denial was.

Quatre also giggled. "I think the girls' antics are kind of cute." He gave a tiny wave.

There was a snort and someone muttered, "You would."

Heero looked decidedly uncomfortable. "I never said I was gay…"

"Aw, come on Hee-chan. No one is completely gay or 100 percent straight. There's a scale of one to ten, 10 being the most gay and one being as straight as a rail. What do you think you are?"

"I don't know, "The Japanese teen said, shooting along a glare to go with his assertion.

"Wuffie? Quat? Tro?"

The blond chortled happily and hugged Trowa. "Oh, a nine or a ten, I'd say."

"I'd agree with that," the Chinese teen growled. "And forget about it. I refuse to answer such an inane question."

Trowa put an arm around Quatre and shrugged slightly. "Maybe a five or six. Beats me."

"So you can go for tits or tails."

Heero suddenly spit out the soda he'd just poured into his mouth and began coughing violently. Quatre's innocent expression was slightly bemused, but he shrugged and continued smiling merrily. The auburn haired man raised an eyebrow at hysterically laughing Duo and Wufei screamed "These People!" and slammed open the door of the bus to try and get away from the chaos inside…only to be rudely reawakened to the fact of the dozens of rabid fan girls out side….

----------------------------------------------------------

Ten minutes later, the poor Chinese boy came stumbling back through the door, clothing torn and dirtied, and a rather crazed expression on his face. He leaned against the door as soon as he had it safely closed behind him, breathing heavily.

Suddenly, Duo screamed. "My god, they're coming in the fuckin' windows!"

"What? These girls are crazy!" Even Quatre was starting to seem rather disturbed by the events.

The girls' excited voices were a lot clearer now.

There was a "Maybe we can see some hot man sex going on!", followed closely by a cry of, "Do you have your camera?"

As Heero began pushing the fan girls back out the window, Duo violently slammed Quatre and Trowa's faces together. "Kiss, kiss godamnit! Maybe they'll be satisfied and leave!"

Loud, high pitched squeals came from all around the immediate areas.

Heero growled something about there being way too many large windows on the bus for the good of their sanity or the fan girls' safety.

"Damn it, Maxwell, you only made things worse," Wufei roared.

"Well, you think of something, then."

Quatre stared out the closest windows at the rows of hopeful eyes. "What if we flash them?"

Duo stared at the blond in disbelief. "You wanna get arrested for public indecency? Trust me, it's no picnic. And did you seriously think that would make them _leave_?"

"Well, I …."

Suddenly, Heero smacked a palm against his forehead. "We are all BAKAS! Why not get the sheets and make curtains?"

Everyone stared at the floor. "But they'll still make noise…" someone grumbled petulantly.

Luckily, a few hours of huddling behind sheets with earphones on, the traffic was able to get a move on. And no one in that bus felt he slightest tinge of sadness about it.

---------------------------------------------------

Duo leaned against the doorframe of the chocolate haired guitar player's dressing room casually as he watched the other teen get ready for the "Return Home" Concert.

"A little more eyeliner there, Hee-chan."

Heero glared at the braided baka's reflection with considerable animosity for a guy wearing make up. "Shut up."

"Oh, yeah, real threatening, buddy." Duo bounced into the room and sat on the edge of the counter. "So…"

Heero glanced at him before settling back in his chair. "So?"

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to do that little number that we've been working on after 'Hit the Floor'."

The Japanese musician stared at him as if he had two heads, stupefied. "You can't be serious. We haven't even shown it to Noin and Zechs yet…"

"Aw, c'mon! It's not too hard. It's heavy on the guitars and vocals and the other guys have practiced their parts enough to be able to do it properly. Besides, they already agreed."

He got a glare for his efforts.

---------------------------------------

"Okay," a slightly sweaty Duo said into the microphone while grinning out into the lights and crowds. Nothing like a good adrenaline rush. "We've got an unpolished piece here for you. Our managers haven't even heard it yet. But we're showin' it to you guys 'coz you're awesome like that!"

The crowd seemed to like this little speech very much. They cheered for almost a full minute, so the boys had a chance to catch their breath before starting in.

_are you miserable_

I hope you'll write some song where you  
mention all the wrongs i've done  
tell everyone you're happy and  
order up another one

are you satisfied  
are you ever gonna be  
you're despicable, inexplicable  
and you're meaningless to me.

I hope you'll write some song where you  
mention all the wrongs i've done  
tell everyone you're happy and  
slip into oblivion.

are you miserable  
are you miserable tonight  
you're invincible, indefensible  
seven deep and getting right

I hope you'll write some song where you  
mention all the wrongs i've done  
tell everyone you're happy and  
slip into oblivion

---------------------------------------------------

Little did they know that Relena and her manager were watching the concert at that moment. They had realized that they had lost the battle of playing the vivtim. But Relena could still get in the publics' good graces…

A/N: Wow, so Hee-can's sexuality came into question….literally. BTW, does any one know the limits on lemons on I need to know, 'cause of Shadow Zone. There's a lemon in the first chappie…The first real lemon I've written too. It won't be posted until I finish typing it up and know if I'm allowed to, tho'.

Also, go check out the ideas on meh profile page. The summaries suck, I know, but I need feedback so I can know which ones to work on….And I've gotten more ideas since updating. Someone shoot the damn plot bunnies! Or knock out meh muse…. I mean 24 fan fic ideas? It's crazy…

And again, beta-ing positions are open for everything. (includes the ideas on my page.) Someone needs to catch my evil inescapable typos and tell me if I get too crazy. Wish I'd had a beta for this insane/ weird-ass/crazy shit chapter…

Sorry for the late update, but I wrote a 750 word essay, a 1000 word research paper and I have to get started on a 4 page disease report. Damn Summer college… I'm in high school for fuck's sake! But it's not like I had a choice….Ok, enough of the POC's inane ranting…Gomen nasai.


	8. Chapter 8

Title: This is How You Remind Me

Author: Pathetic Otaku Child

Rating: T for now

Disclaimer: I don't even own my sanity…..And I don't own WINCO either.

Pairings: 1x2x1, 3x4 in the background……poor Wufei, always the odd man out…..But we all love him anyway, right? Right? C'mon, you gotta love him!

Warnings: yaoi, shounen- ai, blatant Relena-bashing, slight Quatre bashing

Extra notes:

_italicized_ means song lyrics

if it is also _**bolded**_that means that the others (usually Heero, although others as well)are singing back up.

If it is _also underlined, _then that means that Heero is singing a duet w/ Duo and these are his particular lines

If it is _**like this**_, then Duo and Heero are singing a duet, and singing together.

I will try to remember these. If I do not abide by hem, kick me.

**Chapter Eight**

Noin hesitated slightly before knocking on Heero and Duo's apartment door. She felt certain that she did want to keep her skin intact, which was why she was rather unwilling to tell them the news in person. But she also wanted to be there in case one or both tried jumping out the window.

Heero opened the door and stood there, looking rather bemused. "Um, yes, Noin?"

The dark haired woman sighed and stepped past him. "Go wake Duo up. You both need to hear this."

The chocolate haired musician nodded shortly and trotted off. A few seconds later, she could hear muffled cursing and yelling, a thump, then some more baritone cursing. Which was quickly becoming more coherent as the cause was walking down the hall.

"-huh, Yuy? You've got the worst goddamned wake up call in the entire existence of man-fucking-kind! You can' just keep dumping me on my head! Damn bastard. One of these days you'll do it too hard, and you'll have a bloody corpse on your hands, y'know that!?! And we've still got a good two hours till our shit eating cooking class, so what the hell are you doing? You're such an asshole, Hee-Oh, hi Noin!

The manager blinked. "Hello Duo. Good to see that you're…lively."

The teen flopped onto the couch and tried futilely to put some stray hairs back into his braid. "So…What's up?"

Heero sat next to his roomie and nodded, also encouraging Noin to say what she needed to.

She sighed and looked down t her folded hands. "I'll put this bluntly. Relena is coming to make our lives a living hell. She wants to show the public that there are no hard feelings between you two and so she and Dorothy are coming to stay with you for a few days."

She had to wait a few minutes until the two boys were finished venting their anger to continue. "I tried to convince them to at least stay in a hotel, but they insisted."

Heero sighed minutely and leaned back, putting a hand over his eyes. "They can have my room. I'll stay in Duo's. And…hopefully not too much stuff will get trashed…"

Noin and Duo both nodded solemnly. That was all they could do…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The pink limo pulled up to the steps, where Duo and Heero stood waiting. Hopefully, the sooner they got the girl's settled in, the sooner they would leave. Heero shot a glare at the nosy paparazzi trying to hide behind the garbage can. Moron. . . But hopefully Relena would trip while getting out of the obnoxiously colored vehicle. There was something he wouldn't mind seeing on the news.

Sadly, she did not fall. Instead she walked over to him, smiling in a sickeningly sweet way that Heero didn't like very much. Not like he could do anything about it, though… The corners of his mouth lifted slightly in the semblance of the required answering smile. These next few days…

Duo moved forward to shake Relena's hand. "Miss, Relena, it's a pleasure." Inwardly, he cringed.

She turned the smile to him, and it only slipped marginally. "Oh, no the pleasure is all mine."

The little group moved inside to sit on the couches. There was a short uncomfortable silence before Noin cleared her throat and stood. It didn't look like anyone was going to be decapitated today, at least. "If you would excuse me, there is some business I must take care of. It was…nice to see you again, Relena."

After she left, the four young people just sat, there, staring at each other. Finally, Dorothy smiled tightly and asked a few questions about how the records were selling and other such business related topics.

"Ummmm. Me an' Heero need to go grocery shopping. If you wanna stay here and get settled in…" Duo offered.

Dorothy and Relena glanced at each other. "Why don't you go with them, Miss Relena. I'll…unpack."

Then it was the boys' turn to share a look.

Fifteen minutes later found the three at the local WINCO, down the aisle with all the chips and candy.

"Oh, sweet! They got a new flavor of Pringles! Can we get 'em??" Duo unmercifully turned the puppy dog eyes on the other musician.

Heero sighed. "Fine. Throw them in." The can of snacks soon joined the pile of growing junk food in the cart.

Relena stared at the pair in horror. "What about salad? Or…Or some fruit?"

"Fruit Gushers!" The braided teen squealed and threw said object in the cart.

"But…but…"

Heero shrugged. "Don't worry. We also order take out. And we're taking a cooking class, so soon we'll be able to make edible meals ourselves."

The two males continued to move down the aisle, leaving Relena with her jaw on the floor, staring after them.

"But… what about…CUCUMBERS?"

"Can we pretend we don't know her?" Duo asked under his breath.

"Just walk a few feet in front of her. Best we can do," Heero muttered back.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Dorothy was rummaging through the boys' things, making sure to leave everything exactly the same way she left it. She had to find _something_ to discredit and publicly shame the band. Her eyes held an unholy light as she held something up. Here. This should work.

She couldn't help the cliché evil laughter. Being destriuctive was just so much fun.

A/N: I apologize a thousand times over for the lateness and for the pathetic length, but I had major writer's block for this story and finals and a couple big essays to write, and a week of vacation. And then we have this year's schedule to figure out. I'm gonna go o the college in the morning and the high school in the afternoon, but hopefully I'll be able to go to the library in between….I'm going to be a Junior! Yay! I apologize again. Please, no one picket my house.

Thanks to the reviewers! Even Trowa likes them, and he never says anything. See for yourself:

Trowa- ///. n

See? Go and google search 'heero is not toast' It'll be the first one that comes up. It is an extremely awesome site and where I learned to make Trowa emoticons. I have to worship the chick who made it, man. The Relena Torture game is awesome, and you might want it after this chapter to relive some stress. Okay, my testimonial is done now. -.-;


	9. Chapter 9

Title: This is How You Remind Me

Author: Pathetic Otaku Child

Rating: T for now

Disclaimer:

I don't own. Does anyone notice when these things are different anyway?

Pairings: 1x2x1, 3x4 in the background……poor Wufei, always the odd man out…..But we all love him anyway, right? Right? C'mon, you gotta love him!

Warnings: yaoi, shounen- ai, blatant Relena-bashing, slight Quatre bashing

**Chapter Nine**

Duo wearily set down the bag of groceries on the counter and turned to look at Heero, who had just brought in another load, with Relena flouncing in behind him. Heero stared back, a rather pained look on his face. 'Help me,' the dark haired man mouthed.

Duo smirked, but it quickly faded as Dorothy came into the room, wearing an unsettlingly smug look. Duo only hoped that she hadn't done anything horrible.

Relena caught the look and smiled at her manager. "How about the boys fix us dinner while we go for a walk?"

Dorothy returned the smile and nodded. "That sounds excellent, Ms. Relena. We'll be back in a bit." With that, the two girls were gone.

Bemusedly, Duo scratched at his head. "What the hell was that all about?"

Heero shrugged. "Beats me. Well, I guess our coking classes are at least paying off, though."

Duo laughed. "Yeah, seriously. I don't think we would've survived this long without those."

The two quickly settled into a comfortable, friendly silence as they cooked up a full fledged Italian meal, garlic bread and all. They had just set the last bowl on the table when the door opened and their visitors came back in, perhaps looking a bit too pleased with themselves.

Dinner went smoothly, and afterwards Dorothy proposed they played a game. After ten minutes of trying to decide between Monopoly (Dorothy's idea), Life (Relena's), Clue (Heero's) and a Halo tournament (Duo's), they finally settled it through rock paper scissors. Duo was lucky. He also had a great deal of fun kicking Relena's butt.

The next day, the guys had to go to meeting with the rest of the band. Relena and Dorothy said that was fine and that they would be packing to leave anyway. On the way to the meeting, though, they stopped to get gas.

"Damn gas prices..." Duo muttered as he headed inside to pay. Heero finished filling up the tank to $35 as they had agreed and leaned against the car to wait for Duo to come back. He didn't expect, however, Duo to come running out of the station, yelling his name at the top of his lungs and waving the national enquirer.

Heero blinked. "Duo?"

The other young man only shoved the magazine in his face, trying to catch his breath from the all- out sprint.

He gingerly took it and scanned the front page, eyes widening as he took in the headline.

'Colony Brats new singer ex- stripper?'

"Duo?" he whispered, flipping through the magazine until he found the article. 'An anonymous tipper dropped off an incriminating photo (shown to the right) of current singer and front man of the popular rock band Colony Brats. Reporters did a bit more digging and unearthed some of the murky history of the musician. What did he do before he was rich and famous? Our sources told us that not only did he play music on the street by day, but by night he stripped at a club in a quite seedy section of town. Also shown in the photo is Hilde Scheibeker, a fellow stripper at the club. She refused to speak to our reporters. '

Heero stopped reading and looked up at the other young man. Duo was staring back at him, an unreadable mixture of emotions on his face. "Duo, what-?"

"I- I don't know how they- I mean- I'm sorry. What should I do?"

"Just a second." Heero closed his eyes for a moment, trying to grasp this new information. So Duo had been a stripper. No big deal, right? It wasn't the worst job in the world. Heero could feel a strange emotion just beneath his consciousness, but he was having a hard time putting a finger on it. Finally, it came to him. Jealousy.

His eyes opened. Huh? What did jealousy have to do with anything? Why would he be feeling that? He filed it away as something to be mulled over later, when Duo _wasn't_ staring at him.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to do damage control then, right? C'mon, we need to talk to the other guys."

Duo looked slightly stunned before nodding and climbing into the car. Heero exhaled the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding before following suit.

A/n: GOMEN NASAI/bows at the readers' feet/

Sorry, peoples for the wait. And it's short. Too. But ,hey, an updates an update right/hopeful, cheesy grin/. A little thing called a life struck me. I didn't know such things existed until I got one. I'm president of two clubs, a helper of another one, then there's school, and other stories, and my gaming addiction. …../sigh/. There's a whole long list of even more excuses, but I'm not going to waste your time with them.

And if you're waiting for updates for one story, why not also check out my other ones? At least one should be updated fairly often. It seems like I get an idea for a new story everyday, whether it be fanfic or original, so it's hard to stay focused on just a few stories. I'm also working on several fanfics that are not posted yet, so….Just do a general watch and you'll probably get a whole bunch of random goodies. ;

Again, I'm sorry. I don't even have enough time to read all the fanfiction I want to, much less write. Nevertheless, I will try/dramatic pose/


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